Saturday, December 27, 2008

My tryst with education Part - III

The three most indelible years of my life I had spent in “Aamchi Pune.” My story to reach Pune was learning in itself. Like many other student by the beginning of my final year in school I was undecided about my future. One fine day I woke up and realized I wanted to be a lawyer. My mom was delirious with joy that her aimless daughter had finally found something she wanted to do in life.Within a week she had completed all possible research she could on history of lawyers and the law profession. She had her literature review intact from newspapers and articles. She had selected a sample space of lawyers in the family (friends of family and the network keeps growing in geometric progression), law students and prospective law students in Rourkela and Asansol (my nainihal as they call it) Well that’s how I came across A (both A and my mom have each other to blame for this!!)She even had my long term and short term goals as a lawyer in mind. But me being me had lost interest in it within a few months and had decided it wasn’t an “in” thing for me anymore. In order to avoid any volcanic eruption at home I had taken to preparing for law and even sat for the entrance tests.

I couldn’t make through any of the law schools and my mom was more disappointed than I was. By then I had already decided that I would go ahead pursuing a career in commerce and follow it with mass communication (MBA was nowhere in picture since my bro was doing it. Oh! In case you didn’t know I had a rule “Not to follow his footsteps”).

Amongst all this the word Pune had taken a place in my heart (to clarify: I hadn’t met/seen/talked to A till then). My brother who snobbishly considers himself a few years wiser to me believed that I should pursue my graduation in Calcutta and not in the “wild wild west.” With the intention of rebelling till my last breathe I had finally succeeded in reaching my personalized “city of joy.” This is how my journey to the beautiful place had begun. A place where I had spent three most beautiful years of my life. In a friend’s term my three years of paid holiday had begun J

What I learnt from all this? Well you move in life as your destiny takes you. I could have been slogging in a law school for my placements right now. But destiny had it that I should do the same thing in a far flung city called Bhubhaneswar for a job in HR. Even my meeting with A was part of this destiny. If I wouldn’t have thought of law our paths wouldn’t have crossed.

My education in college can be rounded off in one word itself – Zilch. My learning was more from the people around me and the activities I was involved in. Studying in the humanities course I had of course come across all kinds of weirdoes possible in college. I had seen all body tattoos and piercing a human being can survive to show. I met people from various nationalities especially from Bangladesh and Iran. I learnt quite a lot from these people but that wasn’t it. My learning was more from the world I had outside my college.

It was the first time I was staying away from home. Other than learning the logistics part of living alone I learnt a lot about life and people. I found friends. I loved and hated them. I bitched about them and helped them when they needed me. I learnt how to like people in spite of their faults. But I learnt something from each of them and somehow I also rediscovered myself.

H, my roommate for three years and now in her final year in law was a case in her own self. A typical north Indian girl who believed it was her prerogative to have an opinion about everything on earth. She was the perfect lawyer a person could meet. No one ever won an argument with her. She perfectly fits the terms “Chant chatur” but then she was fun like that. Her bitching was fun to listen as long as you weren’t on the receiving end. I also got my mimicry skills from her.

A, another roommate (it’s the girl AJ ) was a person who was matured enough to be called a lady but had a heart of a little girl. I learnt from her to take life as it comes and always greet it with a smile.

M was a dreamy eyed girl from a small town in Maharashtra. If it was possible she would have spent all her life sleeping, reading books and watching movies. She followed her dreams always and I wish I could have been the same. I always envied her peace and tranquility. Another M from Kerela was a perfect daughter to her parents.I wish I could become half as disciplined as her in life.

N and K were two sides of a coin. N attended college everyday, a topper and an apple of professor’s eyes. K on the other had registered herself in college to get a degree and made a conscious effort not to gain anything which was remotely related to studies.They both gave stability and balance to my life like never before.

Lastly, my life in Pune doesn’t end (or wasn’t worth mentioning in the first place) without talking about A. The journey from a name my mom always mentioned when she talked about law, slowly becoming a name in my phonebook then promoted to the post of local guardian (Ripley’s believe it or not !!!) and then to finally become a friend and partner for life has had its own charms. He was everything I have dreamt of and a lot more. At times I wonder if we hadn't met what would life have been like and I fail to imagine it. Right from the first date we went on that rainy evening to the last day he left for Delhi---each moment has been perfect in its own sweet way. What I learnt from him cannot be put in words. He showed me my vices and made me a better person. He is my "better half". The learning with him never ends and I hope it never does.